Beauty of the Greeks

Director takes Pericles seriously — but not too seriously

by David Anthony Fox

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Few of us have seen Shakespeare's Pericles onstage (director Carmen Kahn told the opening-night audience that this was the first professional production in Philly in more than a century). Few have even read it. Fewer still would imagine that the sprawling problem-play, with its minute-to-minute shifts in tone, could be any fun. Yet that's exactly what the Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival provides — a sumptuous evening of rip-roaring entertainment.

If you want a full plot summary of Pericles, please consult Google. I'll just say that it concerns a prince who, upon learning King Antiochus' dirty little secret (he lusts after his own daughter), embarks on a voyage across the ancient world (well, it wasn't ancient then, but you know what I mean) and encounters tribulations including — but not limited to — starvation, sudden death and discovering that his daughter was sold as a common whore. (I hate when that happens.)

Kahn takes Pericles seriously — but she also knows it's a show. She uses an edition prepared by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival that incorporates a chorus and lots of music. If this means that some of the second half sounds oddly like "Guenevere" from Camelot, it also makes for clear storytelling and momentum. Best of all, Kahn isn't fazed by the juxtaposition of comedy, tragedy and melodrama, and she refuses to try to even it all out.

Who knew? Pericles is a brilliant romp with some tearful sentiment thrown in. Long stretches have the delicious kitsch of a Bible movie. (You must see Buck Schirner's decadent Antiochus, a performance surely modeled on Jay Robinson as Caligula.) Then there's the merry band of inept criminals, who would do justice to any production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. At the same time, the lyrical passages for Pericles; his wife, Thaisa; and their daughter, Marina, are given the necessary time to breathe.

An elegant unit set (by Adam Riggar), richly colorful costumes (Vickie Esposito) and evocative lighting (Jerold Forsyth) all suggest lavishness that I imagine exceeds PSF's actual budget. Kahn's visual pictures — from a desolate landscape to a tempest-tossed ship — are masterful. In all, this Pericles is a shining example that in the theater, talent and taste are what ultimately count.

(d_fox@citypaper.net)

Pericles, Prince of Tyre Through May 18, Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, 2111 Sansom St., 215-496-8001, phillyshakespeare.org